Jeff Girotto

Rice MBA for Professionals Class of 2013 – Weekend Schedule

About Me
Before Rice, I have been an IT Systems Administrator for about 10 years in three industries: healthcare (Texas Children’s Hospital), technology (BMC Software) and energy (Anadarko Petroleum Corporation). I was promoted to IT Manager of our messaging and collaboration technologies at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation two weeks after being accepted to the Jones School.

Choosing the Jones Graduate School of Business
I explored the MBA programs at several local universities. I chose Rice because of the welcoming community I met during information sessions, the Rice University reputation, greater opportunities available on the main campus, and the second year electives that allow me to focus my MBA toward areas that will most benefit me.

On Immersion, a rigorous preview of Rice MBA life
Immersion was a great kick start to getting into the spirit of the Rice MBA. It felt like a rite of passage. The intensity of Immersion made it more valuable to me. The program started with a bang instead of whimper and introduced me to the academic rigor of the program.

I really enjoyed the mind-expanding Competitive Strategy course during Immersion. Professor Kale taught me to see more that I thought I could, question my assumptions, and rigorously challenge the logic of my statement and provide evidence to support my conclusions. While writing the final case study for this class, I found myself playing two roles: the student making statements about what the case meant and also the professor forcing me to solidly defend my position. It was an enjoyable way to write a case.

On your team
My team is comprised of very bright individuals with very different opinions about most everything. We all care very much about our education and its impact on our careers. We are all really focused on not just earning a grade but the value of learning the material. We hold each other accountable for our team performance, but we also help each other out when we struggle with certain material or during weeks that one of us may have other responsibilities that are demanding our attention, such as business travel or the birth of a child.

The Value of the Rice MBA to me is…
The Rice MBA is the key to providing me the ability to meet the challenges of higher leadership positions through the rest of my career. Technology changes rapidly and successful leaders need to be able to adapt to constantly changing industry conditions. The MBA provides me the frameworks with which to evaluate this changing landscape to make effective and productive decisions in my organization.